Illinois Sportsbook Betting

Despite the fact that the state of Illinois is pretty friendly towards gambling in general, they are unable to transcend the federal laws which keep states like IL from offering legal sports betting options to their residents and visitors. This means that the Illinois football betting, including Illinois college football betting and NFL football betting is primarily done through legally sanctioned offshore sportsbooks that are licensed to provide their services to bettors in Illinois without breaking any US federal laws. Many states had their hopes riding on NJ's efforts to challenge the Professional and Amateur Sports Protection Act of 1992 in the Supreme Court. Unfortunately for those hopeful sports fans, the Supreme Court refused to even hear New Jersey's appeal and instead upheld a previous lower court's decision that US sports betting services are not legal for NJ or any other state that was not excluded from the law in 1992 through a grandfather clause. In essence, the Supreme Court shot down last ditch efforts to fight for a state's right to determine the laws concerning sports wagering inside of their own borders.

Top Online Sportsbook For Illinois Bettors

Bovada Sportsbook

Bovada Sportsbook is our number one recommendation for sports bettors from Illinois. Not only are they US friendly, but they provide a substantial selection of betting lines, and very competitive odds and paylines as well. Their range of wagering options is very comprehensive, and includes the popular live betting feature as well. Their new player bonus is a 50% match up to $250 on your first deposit. They also offer seasonal promotions that vary depending on which sports event is being featured. Bovada delivers a very well designed mobile sportsbook application which does not require any type of download, and that also has the same sophisticated features and wagering options such as live betting. Their full range of betting lines is included in their mobile sports betting app.

Top Illinois Legal Online Sports Betting Sites

Is Online Sports Betting Legal in Illinois?

While state regulated sports betting will likely not be found in Illinois anytime soon, if ever, there are some alternatives that provide legal sports betting opportunities for bettors in the Prairie State. With state regulated sportsbooks both online and offline out of the question due to the PASPA and the Federal Wire Act, sports fans in IL will have to consider options that are based a little further away. Those federal laws do prevent sports betting sites from being operated within the state. However they do not prevent, criminalize or prohibit Illinois bettors from engaging in responsible online sports betting activities at legally licensed offshore sportsbooks. These sites are regulated through a jurisdiction which has already specifically legalized online gambling of this nature for their respective territories. This allows them to legally offer their services to sports bettors around the world, including those residing in or visiting Illinois. For more information on state laws concerning gambling in the state, you can visit the Illinois State Legislature.

How Safe are the Sports Betting Sites that are Licensed to Provide Wagering Services to Illinois Bettors?

Not all legal online sportsbooks are necessarily high quality options. In fact, there are probably more questionable options than trusted brands. This is why our team of professional analysts has carefully scoured the Internet in search of the reputable sports betting sites that are US friendly. We took the potential brands and placed them each through a very intense review process to determine their legitimacy and their value to players. We make sure their licensing, certifications and regulatory oversight is genuine, that their security profile reflects advanced technology and protocols, and that their betting lines, paylines and odds are competitive as compared to the rest of the industry. We examine their range of betting lines and covered sports events, as well as their software features such as live betting, to determine what level of betting options and services are provided. We are not satisfied to include brands that meet minimum standards or offer minimal services. We expect to see an investment by the sportsbook in offering cutting edge features and creative wagering options that cover both mainstream and less popular events, matches and games. We evaluate their entire operation from top to bottom to ensure they offer the same type of high quality betting experience you find in Las Vegas.

Popular Professional Sports Teams To Bet On In Illinois

NBA Basketball

Chicago Bulls

NFL Football

Chicago Bears

MLB Baseball

Chicago Whitesox

Chicago Cubs

NHL Hockey

Chicago Blackhawks

Popular College Football Teams To Bet On In Illinois

North Western

Illinois Fighting Illini

Betting Trends of the Top Illinois Sports Teams

The Chicago Bulls

The Bulls have one of the best practical positions in the NBA. Not only are they situated in the Eastern Conference, but they have former league MVP Derrick Rose suiting up and playing for them. When healthy, Rose is a force to be reckoned with. He can change a game in a heartbeat and carry the Bulls to many victories. Last year, however, they lost to the Cleveland Cavs in the playoffs. And while they did okay on the schedule, they weren't a very solid team for gamblers. They were 46-37-1 ATS in all games, and were 5-4 as home underdogs. Playing away, they went 24-23, and with one day off they were 25-26-1. These aren't the types of numbers one would expect from a championship contender. For Illinois' sports teams, it might be better to pick one other than the Bulls.

The Chicago Cubs

The Cubbies in Chi-Town are nearly 100 years without a World Series title, and they will have to wait at least one more. While Theo Epstein is busy putting together a young contender, the Cubs continue to struggle. This season, they're seven games back in the NL Central. Last season, they finished last in the NL Central. They actually did better than expected ATS (against the spread), going 94-85, but they were .500 or worse on over-under bets, and they outright stunk with straight bets. If you're a Cubs fan, your moment in the sun may be coming in the next couple of years. If you're a gambler, you have to stay away from Chicago until these trends reverse. Unfortunately, they don't appear to be changing.

The Chicago White Sox

The White Sox claimed their latest World Series championship one year after Boston broke its supposed curse, 2005. Since then, Chicago has been competitive but hasn't been able to retake the dominant spot in baseball. In the American League Central, the White Sox were 73-89 last year, and they were 85-96 ATS. While winning more games, they were actually worse than the Cubs when it came to betting on them. Is this trend going to change soon? Chicago has little pitching, while other teams in their division continue to get better. We don't see this trend changing in the near future. White Sox fans might have to stick with betting basketball or football for the time being.

The Chicago Bears

If you live in Illinois and are reading this, you might be upset because our literature here omits results like good colleges in the state and even a great hockey team like the Chicago Blackhawks. However, we're going by betting popularity here, and as such we have to keep things to the top-rated sports. The Chicago Bears, without a doubt, are the most popular of Illinois' teams. Last year, though, they didn't do much for gamblers. They were 7-9 ATS, 5-5 after a loss, 4-4 as the away team, and only 2-2 as favorites. They were 50% or worse across the board in betting categories. These trends may be turning around this season, however. Jay Cutler is healthier and has a better O line. Their defense is improving. And their division, save the Packers, has gotten a little worse. We expect a solid 10-6 ATS from Chicago this year.